Choc Mint Vacherin

The french have it sorted. Fine dining with simplicity-good, uncomplicated flavours, impressive without pretense. So it was at Boucher in Graceville where I celebrated my birthday on Sunday with some beloveds, after tucking away succulent rib eye beef with chive and sour cream roasted potatoes, roasted beetroot, picked onions, a salad of lightly dressed rocket and a side of bread, butter and the airiest, lightest, Yorkshire puddings you've ever passed between your lips. The dessert was incredible, and I only managed to fit it in due to having one of those dessert stomachs many women in particular find they have after a large dinner (presumably a separate organ from the stomach we all carry around our middle region.) It consisted of a lofty, rectangular slice of sponge cake, thinly layered with dark chocolate ganache and was accompanied by orange and a most exquisite ice cream flavoured with fennel seeds. It was heaven on a plate, and so gorgeously presented.
Going to Boucher reminded me of all the hot spots in Queensland we're yet to hit, and when my husband found this list of 50 meals you should have eaten if you live in Brisbane, I knew we had to make this a more frequent expedition.  It can rack up a bit of a bill though if you're out fine dining every weekend though so we keep an eye out for great food coupon deals where you can get the gourmet experiences for less. That always makes the experience more enjoyable. Fine dining for less. Bring it on.
But if you're stuck at home as I am this weekend, and you can't make it out to any nice restaurants, you might like to try making this Mint Vacherin at home for dessert. It's a show stopper and makes you look like a pro in front of your friends, but it's simple and elegant and easy (it's french, once again!)
So what's it like to sink your teeth into it? There are three layers of chocolate speckled meringue, wedged with a filling of whipped, mint infused cream and the richness of dark chocolate, topped with mint leaves and lashings of more of that dark chocolatey goodness and cream.
Irrésistible!

CHOC MINT VACHERIN (adapted from Today's Nest)

Meringue:

3 egg whites
3/4 cup caster sugar (or superfine sugar)
1 tsp corn flour (or corn starch)
45g dark chocolate, finely grated

Filling:

140g dark chocolate
1 1/2 cups thickened cream (or heavy cream)
1 tbsp. mint leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp caster sugar (or superfine sugar)

Garnish:

Extra chocolate to grate or drizzle
fresh mint leaves to decorate

Preheat the oven to 135C.
Take a pencil and one sheet of baking paper and place draw out three identical rectangles approximately 4 inches wide by 10 inches long. Place this paper into the baking sheet. Set aside.
To make the meringue, beat the egg whites in a clean dry bowl. When you have achieved soft peaks, gradually add 1/2 a cup of the sugar. Whip into stiff, glossy peaks. Fold in the remaining sugar, the corn flour and the grated chocolate shavings until only just incorporated. (Over folding will deflate your egg whites.)
Fill a piping bag fitted with a 1/2 inch round tipped nozzle. Pipe horizontal lines of the mixture across each drawn rectangle on the baking tray, making sure that each line of meringue mixture touches the next slightly. (This ensures the meringue rectangle is one solid piece once cooked.) Bake for 45 minutes, then rotate the tray. Continue to bake for a further 45 minutes.
Turn the oven off and leave the meringue to cool in the oven.
When cooled, remove the tray and gently take the three rectangles off the baking sheet. You may need an egg flip to assist you.
To make the filling, carefully melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl in the microwave, stopping at 20 second intervals to stir until smooth. While the chocolate is still warm, spread it on to two of the meringue rectangles. Set aside.
With a mortar and pestle, muddle the mint with the sugar. Add this to the cream in a medium sized bowl, and whip into soft peaks.
Place one of the chocolate covered meringues onto your serving dish. Pipe one third of the cream over the chocolate. Add the other chocolate coated meringue on top of this cream, and repeat with another third of the cream. Top this with the final layer of meringue, and pipe the remaining cream down the centre. Decorate with the extra chocolate and remaining mint leaves.

NOTES: heat a very sharp knife under hot water before cutting, using a sawing motion. This helps to cut through the hardened chocolate layers without breaking and ruining the look of the delicate dessert.

Shabby Chic Bridal Shower Hightea

It's been quiet around the blog since my camera gave up the ghost, despite the fact I have been quite busy in the kitchen. Christmas Holidays meant taking time off to be with the family, but I had a few parties in the mix too. One of which was a gorgeous shabby chic style high tea held in honor of a friend who was to be married. It was for her bridal shower and screamed all things feminine and girlie. I themed the menu so that everything was decadent and pink, featuring roses and sugared rose petals, pearls and floral fondant toppers. Teapots sporting beautiful roses, delicate ferns, and lisianthus decked a table strewn with cake stands and champagne glasses, tiered high tea trays and pretty china saucers. Our poison was sweet moscato, with the addition of old fashioned pink lemonade for the non drinkers, and we also had some Rose on the side.
The trays were piled with ornately decorated cupcakes, mini banoffee tarts, mini lemon meringue tarts, pink lamingtons, cake pop skewers, pastel meringues, coconut ice domes topped with edible roses, jelly cheesecake shots, dark chocolate cointreau truffles, white chocolate Tia Maria truffles, dark chocolate royals, and a strawberry topiary.
And, as you can see, one of my Christmas presents was a nice camera, which I was able to take these photos with. I am still working out all the settings and getting used to it, so please bare with me for a while while the photos are not at their best. I will eventually get there! (If you wish for any of the recipes for the above menu, click on the word above--it will take you to the recipe link. Any that are not linked up, these recipes are yet to come! Keep checking back!)

Shabby Chic Bridal Shower Hightea

Ultimate Meringue

Meringue. There's something nostalgic about meringue and it makes me think of white, fluffy fairy castles. I used to watch my mum piling that sticky, sweet goodness up into high mounds before baking it and turning it into a most impressive pavlova. "Pav" was always a favourite around our house when I was a child, and sinking my teeth into it makes me a little bit proud too, being a particularly Australian dessert.
Unfortunately when this little girl grew up into a woman and tried piling meringue fairy castles up for her own children, I was hit was huge waves of dissapointment.
Flat. Sticky. Weeping. Gooey inside.
The meringue, not me.
Although I felt a little how it all looked, sagging there on the kitchen bench in delicious disarray. (Good thing you can still put failed meringue to good use with an Eton Mess Dessert)
I blamed it on the humid, tropical climate I moved up to. Then my sister in law Liz told me her mum, who long resided in the same climate as I do, made the best pavlovas despite the humidity. That made me feel a million dollars. It was official--I was a failure at meringue.
So as you may well guess, I went crazy trouble shooting meringue and all the possible mistakes I could be making that made my meringues so temperamental. To my joy I found I was correct about the humidity and rain playing a roll in its failure, so be sure that if you want to succeed, chose a dryer day if you can to get baking. Having said that, it's winter here and still 70% humidity and my meringues, using the below recipe for the ultimate meringue, formed glorious, crisp on the outside, slightly chewy on the inside, non-weepy, non-gooey, non-sinky, gorgeous meringues. I think it might be fail proof. Finally.
I now have two favourite meringue recipes that have never failed me to this day. One I use for making Meringue Swans, and it does brown a bit, and has the most delicious crunchy outer and caramelly inner. But this recipe keeps its whiteness and I (almost) promise, you won't have any issues with it. Bon appetit!

ULTIMATE MERINGUE (From BBC Good Food)

4 large egg whites
115g caster sugar
115g icing sugar
a few drops of food colouring if desired

Preheat the oven to 100C (110C for a fan forced oven).
Line two or three trays with baking paper and set aside. In a medium to large, clean and dry glass bowl, add the egg whites. Beat on medium speed until the whites stand up in stiff peaks when the beaters are lifted and they resemble fluffy clouds.
Turn up the speed to high and begin to add the caster sugar, a tablespoon at a time with 5 seconds in between each addition. (If you add the sugar too quickly, the meringue may weep at a later stage) You may add some food colouring at this stage if desired.
The mixture should look thick and glossy when it is ready--do not over beat.
Divide the icing sugar into three parts. Add the first part, and fold it into the mixture with a rubber spatula or big metal spoon. Repeat with the two remaining parts. Don't over-mix at this stage, just fold until the mixture looks smooth and billowy, like a snow drift.
Y0ou can place the meringue mixture in a ziplock bag fitted with a piping nozel and pipe the mixture as desired, or simply spoon the mixture onto the tray, using another spoon to help ease it off.
Bake for 1 1/2 hours to 1 3/4 hours in a fan oven, or 1 1/4 hours in a conventional oven. Meringues are ready when they feel dry to touch and sound hollow when tapped underneath. Leave to cool on the trays for a few minutes, then remove to cooling racks. Meringues will store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, and can be frozen for a month.

Meringue Rave Swan

You know what makes me tick? Art. Food. Art and food combined. You can enjoy it visually, you can feel it, you can taste it, you can smell it...it appeals to all the senses.  It's practically perfect.
I know that visually unappealing food can be delightful to the taste buds. You know me--I think any really "good" food has to have two of three things to be truly successful:

Great Appearance
Great Texture
Great Taste

I believe any dish or dessert or edible can get away with only two of these three, and be a winner. For example, avocado. It  looks divine, and has a wonderful buttery, smooth texture, but doesn't really have much of a taste. I love it! (especially halved and paired with a large dollop of sour cream, and a sprinkling of lemon pepper) All the better if something looks amazing, tastes amazing and has great texture.
So here we have it, my signature dessert. I call it a Meringue Rave Swan because, well, not to blow my own horn too loudly, but it has got rave reviews every time it's been served. The name actually comes from a drink that is served at a quirky Melbourne bar called Madam Brussels. Mind you, if you're ever in Melbourne, do try and locate it. It's one of those bars that people only know about by word of mouth, and is an awesome terrace, garden-party style place on Bourke St. Anyway, we went there on my Hen's night, after a lovely time at a jazz bar, and we lovely ladies were served a giant cocktail in a porcelain swan. It is The Rave Swan. I don't know if they still sell them, but it has ever been impressed in me, and thus, the meringue swan has also taken on its name.

MERINGUE RAVE SWANS

2 egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar
3oz flaked almonds, lightly toasted
6 generous ice cream scoops

Preheat oven to 150C.
Beat the egg whites on the highest setting until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add the sugar, beating well in between, until sugar dissolves,  and the mixture is thick, smooth and glossy.
Draw 12 tear shapes onto two sheets of baking paper to use as guides for the swan's bodies. Pipe meringue mixture onto these sheets to fill in the shapes, making the meringue thicker at the widest part of the tear. Insert the tips of almonds at a slight angle over the tops of these tear shapes to resemble feathers. Bake for one hour, alternating the trays at the end of the first half hour. Cool with the oven door slightly ajar.
With the remaining meringue, pipe S shapes onto another lined baking tray. Pipe a few extra in case of breakage. Bake in the oven until golden, and cool with the door ajar.
Just before serving, wedge two teardrops together with a generous ball of ice cream to assemble the body and insert the S shape to form the swan's head.

Makes 6 Swans

NOTES: Do not assemble swan and then store in the refrigerator, as the meringue will soften and the swan will not stand. Store meringue in an airtight container until ready to serve, then pair with ice cream on the serving plate.

Drinking The Rave Swan on my Hen's at Madam Brussels, Melbourne

Almond Meringue Seashells

I've always wondered at those people who eat a whole block of chocolate in one sitting. I'm not judging. I've probably done it before too. After last weekend, I assure you I felt like doing just that!
I don't wonder at why anyone does it, I wonder at the flavours and the textures they are missing by eating it so rapidly. When I was a kid, sometimes we'd get treated with a couple of squares of chocolate on Sunday arvos. There are ten of us kids, so as you can imagine a block of chocolate didn't go far. We didn't care, we were satisfied with a small amount.
I remember sitting there and nibbling away at those squares like it was the last food I would ever taste, just because I appreciated the thrill of it so much.
It seriously made it taste better. You'd let it sit in your mouth long enough for it to melt, and savor it, before taking another cm bite of chocolate to repeat the blissful sensation. You experience different levels of flavour and texture that way, and I often think these levels of appreciation are missed when people robotically eat something. I'd probably have missed it all together if I'd been dealt out two rows of chocolate as a treat instead of two squares.
So when you bite into these Almond Meringue Shells, fully experience the layers of flavours and textures in your mouth. It takes it to a new level!
There's that great and delicate crunch with the toasted almond, then a crisp shell of meringue before the softer spongier layer, and then a hit creamy of vanilla. It's truly a delight to eat your food slowly. Unless you're a toddler, and then I just want you to hurry up. One hour is too long to chew a spoonful. Seriously, my son may look like his father, but he takes after me.

ALMOND MERINGUE SEASHELLS (A Lick the Spoon Original)

2 egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/4 cup slithered almonds
1 cup icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
dash of water

Preheat oven to 150C. Line two trays with baking paper.
Beat the egg whites on the highest setting until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add the sugar, beating well in between, until sugar dissolves,  and the mixture is thick, smooth and glossy. Pipe meringue mixture onto the baking sheets, in small round disc shapes (about the size of the circle made when you join your thumb and pointer together). Sprinkle the tops with the slithered almonds. Bake for one hour, alternating the trays at the end of the first half hour. Cool with the oven door slightly ajar.
To make the icing, in a small bowl combine the icing sugar and vanilla. Add a very small amount of water at a time, stirring the mixture until a thick frosting forms. Pair the meringues together with this icing in between. Store in an airtight container.

Dots Of Sunshine for Little Miss Sunshine

The other day my little sister in law turned twelve. Oh what a fun age that was, I can remember! On the cusp of teenagehood and hanging on to the last scraps of childhood. All I can remember about being a kid were days of sun and blue skies, my pets and playing in the back yard, lapping up nature. The giant lemon tree, and laying on my back in the long grass watching the clouds stream by...ah that was the life!
Now little Miss Alex reminds me of this time, and it made me want just a little bit of that back, thinking of her birthday. I hate going any place empty handed and when it came to her birthday dinner I just knew I had to think of something that reflected that nostalgia. Meringue sunshines?
Lemon.
Meringue.
Can't go past the stuff!

LEMON CURD

1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup cornflour
1/2 cup (125ml) lemon juice
1 1/4 cups water
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
3 egg yolks
60g butter or margarine

Combine the sugar and cornflour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add the lemon juice and water while stirring continuously until mixture is smooth. Place saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add the lemon rind, egg yolks and butter. Continue stirring until the butter has melted and mixture is well combined. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 

BEST MERINGUE:

1/2 cup caster sugar
2 egg whites
1/4 cup slivered almonds

In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Continue beating, adding a tablespoon of sugar at a time, until the sugar has dissolved and the meringue forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pipe into shells. You may wish to remove excess from the middle with a small spoon to make a well. Place almonds around the sides like sun rays.
When complete, place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Revolve the tray and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the meringue feels hard to tap and begins to turn golden.Leave in oven with door ajar until cooled. Pipe lemon curd into the centre of each. Serve.

Domestic Goddess Wannabe

 Funnily enough, my darling husband bought me a coffee mug for Mother's Day that says "Domestic Goddess" on the side. What a darling for thinking that of me! I tell him its far from the truth, but as usual when I protest to something nice, he says "I don't know what you're talking about!" Anyway, it made me think of something a few people have asked recently and I want to set it right with the world of blog readers. "Do you ever cook anything that isn't amazing?" I have been asked.
ARE YOU INSANE!?
YES! I certainly do cook some disasters, I just don't publish them, or I try and hide them in the stomach of my husband before anyone else can view the mess. Things flop for me quite frequently (Domestic Goddess indeed!) My husband doesn't mind if the meringue on my last pie was more like marshmallow than crispy melt-in-your-mouth goodness, but to me its a disappointment. Ever wondered why I added meringue swirls and lemon curd to the last pie that was seen on this page? It wasn't crispy and I needed to add crisp to that flopped meringue! So nobody is allowed to think I'm any sort of Domestic Goddess (but my husband of course) because it makes me feel like I have to be perfect and I cant be without more practice.  Of course its what I aspire to, but I definitely have not made it there yet.
Meringue, by the way, is one of my favourite sweet things and it also happens to be one of those that leaves me anxious that it will fail. Sometimes it simply refuses to crisp up and flops into a gooey, caramely heap. Still tastes amazing, but probably cant be considered meringue anymore. (although my darling brother in law says he prefers it this way) Anyway, when I made these lemon mini meringue tarts, I was determined not to have a failure on my hands. So I combined three successful recipes that I knew were brilliant and we had a lovely crisp topped meringue that melted in your mouth, zesty, gooey lemon curd and perfect pastry cases....mmmmmmh!  I think the pictures say it all. Needless to say, they certainly did not last long! Enough of the citrus recipes already!

MINI LEMON MERINGUE TARTS

PASTRY CASES:

1 1/2 cup plain flour
2 tbs icing sugar
125g butter, chilled, cubed
1 egg yolk
2 tbs water, chilled

Place flour, icing sugar and butter in bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Whisk together egg yolk and water. With motor running, add egg yolk mixture and process until pastry just comes together. Transfer pastry to a lightly floured surface and bring together with your hands. Lightly knead until just smooth. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.
Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface until desired thickness. Using a round cutter, cut out 24 circles and place in mini muffin tin. You may trim any excess, but the pastry shells do tend to shrink a little while cooking. Place in freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 190°C. Place pastry case on baking tray and bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove and leave to cool in the tin.

BEST LEMON CURD:

(This recipe makes twice as much curd as is needed to fill the pastry shells. However, it is difficult to halve the recipe due to it requiring three egg yolks. But if you're like me, you'll use the rest on toast, croissants and through other desserts! YUM!)

1 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup cornflour
1/2 cup (125ml) lemon juice
1 1/4 cups water
2 tsp finely grated lemon rind
3 egg yolks
60g butter or margarine

Combine the sugar and cornflour in a medium saucepan. Gradually add the lemon juice and water while stirring continuously until mixture is smooth. Place saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Add the lemon rind, egg yolks and butter. Continue stirring until the butter has melted and mixture is well combined. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. 

BEST MERINGUE:

1/2 cup caster sugar
2 egg whites

In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Continue beating, adding a tablespoon of sugar at a time, until the sugar has dissolved and the meringue forms stiff, glossy peaks.

ASSEMBLY:

Preheat the oven to 150C. Spoon lemon curd into the pastry shells that are still sitting in the tins, filling them to the rim of each shell. Fit a piping bag with a large star nozzle, and fill with the meringue mixture. Pipe swirls on top of the lemon curd, making sure you pipe to the edges of the pastry cases. When complete, place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Revolve the tray and cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the meringue feels hard to tap and begins to turn golden. Remove, cool and devour!

one day...

Lemon Lime Meringue Pie

So a few days back while plotting out what delicious morsel I was going to make for Mother's Day, I wondered--how many of you made the World's Best Scrambled Eggs, and why aren't there any photos being posted of dazzling engagement rings? Goodness. Did no one get a proposal after making that creamy, amazingly moreish breakfast for their boyfriends? I am thinking I might have to make a video so you can see my technique...its all in the technique! A bit like making choux pastry really--all in the timing and the hands. Sigh. I was expecting gushing stories and wedding invitations coming my way.
Anyway. I just wanted to say a word about Mums, seeing as I saw a recent poll on facebook about Mother's Day and it seems--No one makes much of an effort! The largest percentage of mothers said its "a day like any other" in their household and I think its a shame. Come on, those women carried you for nine months (and you lived off her like a parasite), went through numerous hours of painful labour to squeeze you out, and then nourished you for years, looked after you, was on call 24/7, kissed all those booboos, loves you beyond any other--cant you bake her a cake? Make her scrambled eggs in bed? Do the dishes at least? I hope every Mum got pampered!!
Okay, end of rant. This was my first Mother's Day and being new to the whole mum thing, I feel sensitive about this. Something should be done!
By the way, my mum is an absolute legend and an inspiration to me in every possible way.

Mum--A domestic goddess if there ever was one.

She never complained about anything but her own cooking, and we thankless children didn't know how delicious her meals were until we left home. Her style is quick and simple, and truly, she inspires me. When I fly home next month, I am raiding her mind for her recipes. Since I cant be home with her to celebrate this day of great women, I am dedicating this Lemon Lime Meringue Pie to her, and will probably eat it myself myself...how generous of me! I still have citrus on the brain. Happy Mother's Day all you Yummy Mummies!

LEMON LIME MERINGUE PIE (taste.com.au)

1 1/2 cup plain flour
2 tbs icing sugar
125g butter, chilled, cubed
1 egg yolk
2 tbs water, chilled
3 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup thickened cream
100ml fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 tbs fresh lime juice
3 egg whites, room temperature
pinch of salt
1/2 cup caster sugar, extra

Place flour, icing sugar and butter in bowl of a food processor. Process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Whisk together egg yolk and water. With motor running, add egg yolk mixture and process until pastry just comes together. Transfer pastry to a lightly floured surface and bring together with your hands. Lightly knead until just smooth. Shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to rest for 20 minutes.
Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out pastry on a lightly floured surface until 3mm thick. Line a shallow 23cm (base measurement) fluted tart tin with removable base with pastry. Trim any excess. Place in freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 190°C. Place pastry case on baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until light golden.
Meanwhile, place eggs, caster sugar, cream and lemon and lime juices in a bowl, and whisk until well combined. Remove cooked pastry case from oven and reduce oven temperature to 160°C. Pour filling into warm pastry case and return to oven for 30 minutes or until filling is lightly set in centre. Remove from oven and place, still in the tart tin, on a wire rack. Set aside for 1 hour or until cooled to room temperature.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Use an electric beater to whisk egg whites and salt in a clean, dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add extra caster sugar, a spoonful at a time, whisking constantly until thick and glossy. Spoon meringue on top of tart. Use back of a spoon to spread meringue, doming it slightly in centre and decorating with large swirls. (Make sure meringue is touching pastry right around top edge.) Bake for 8 minutes or until light golden and meringue is lightly set. Set aside for 15 minutes.

Fancied up with extra meringue swirls and lemon curd! YUM!

A New Year's Feast

So, I've never celebrated New Years in a low key style, but there's a first for everything, and quite frankly, I think New Years celebrations to be a little over rated. We opted for a dinner party this year, with some of the young couples and it was fabulous!
Being a Friday, we went for seafood. Not everyone is a seafood fan, but you cant go wrong with a beautiful, buttery Salmon steak smeared in mushroom sauce on a bed of warm potato mash, baby spinach and roast capsicum. The meal is a favourite of mine to make and gets compliments every time, so if you're wanting to impress...you have the recipe! The best thing, besides the taste, is that this meal is super easy to make and looks gourmet. Cant go past it!

Hors D'oeuvres:

Photo courtesy of Marcela Saborido

Cucumber Wheels with Curried Tuna, Capsicum and Prawns


2 large cucumbers
2x 95g cans Thai Red Curry tuna
1/4 red capsicum
prawns (optional)

Scrape the fork vertically down the skin of the cucumbers until completely scored. Cut off the ends and cut the cucumber into 1cm discs. Scrape out a little of the centre of each with a teaspoon, making sure that there is still a base. Discard the removed seeds. Spoon curried tuna into the small wells and top with slithered capsicum and prawns if desired.



Main Course:

ATLANTIC SALMON STEAK WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE, MASH, BABY SPINACH AND ROASTED CAPSICUM

Atlantic salmon steak
Red capsicum, halved, deseeded
Mashed potato
Handful of mushrooms, chopped
Evaporated milk
Corn flour
Salt and pepper


Heat oil in pan on stove on high. Sear the salmon on each side for a few minutes until golden. Turn stove to low to cook the steak through, turning and checking occasionally.
Meanwhile, halve the capsicum, deseed and set under the grill on high. Remove when browned, and repeat for the other side.
Cut desired amount of mushrooms into small pieces and begin to brown in a small saucepan. While browning, place 1/5 cup evaporated milk in a small bowl and mix a little corn flour into it. When well combined, add to the mushrooms, with more evaporated milk until the sauce reaches desired consistency. Bring to the boil and remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange baby spinach in the middle of plate. Lay the roast capsicum on top of the spinach and scoop prepared potato mash inside. Lay salmon steak on top of the mash and pour hot mushroom sauce over the steak.


NOTE: this recipe serves one. Increase ingredients to suit.

Dessert:

MERINGUE RAVE SWAN

2 Egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar
3oz flaked almonds, lightly toasted
100ml cream
1/4 cup strawberries

Preheat oven to 150C.
Beat the egg whites on the highest setting until they form stiff peaks. Gradually add the sugar, beating well in between, until sugar dissolves,  and the mixture is thick, smooth and glossy.
Draw 12 tear shapes onto two sheets of baking paper to use as guides for the swan's bodies. Pipe meringue mixture onto these sheets to fill in the shapes, making the meringue thicker at the widest part of the tear. Insert the tips of almonds at a slight angle over the tops of these tear shapes to resemble feathers. Bake for one hour, alternating the trays at the end of the first half hour. Cool with the oven door slightly ajar.

With the remaining meringue, pipe S shapes onto another lined baking tray. Pipe a few extra in case of breakage. Bake in the oven until golden, and cool with the door ajar.

Beat the cream until thick. Crush the strawberries and add, stirring through the cream.
Just before serving, wedge two teardrops together with cream to assemble the body and insert the S shape to form the swan's head.

NOTES: do not assemble swan and then store in the refrigerator, as the meringue will soften and the swan will not stand.

 After dinner Nibbles:

CUSTARD SHORTBREAD TARTS

Shortbread:

125g butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup pure icing sugar
1 tsp. vanilla essence
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup cornflour

Using an electric beater, beat butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add flours, and stir until well combined. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll with a rolling pin and press our 20 circles. Place each in the bases of a  muffin tin, taking care to centre the dough so that each forms a pastry case. Bake for 25-30 minutes  until golden. Cool.

Custard:

2 cups milk
4 large egg yolks
6 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. cornflour
40g butter, at room temperature

Place milk in a small saucepan and bring to the boil.
Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, combine yolks, sugar and cornflour and whisk over a low heat. When the milk has boiled, add a few tablespoons into the yolk mixture and whisk. Gradually add the remaining milk and whisk vigorously on a medium heat. Custard will thicken. Continue to whisk until boils, and remove from heat. Scrape into a small bowl and sit in a tray of ice, to cease the cooking process. When cooler, add the butter in 3-4 installments, stirring until combined. Add essence, mix and refrigerate. Stores for 2-3 days.

Pipe custard into shortbread cases and drizzle with melted chocolate. De-lish!